Confederation of European Computer User Associations

 

Eurolinc, Semantis and CECUA, non-profit organizations, and Le Monde des Possibles, a training institution in Liége have invited on October the 17 th , 2014 in Liége (Belgium) experts to share their views and make proposals for an Internet respecting the dignity of citizens.

In the introduction of the conference, Jean-Michel Cornu (Imagination for People) showed us how mobilization of collective intelligence can produce innovative and relevant solutions to the Internet's issues.

Chantal Lebrument (Open-Root Director and EuroLinc President) discussed Internet Governance from the standpoint of naming. Anne-Marie Laulan (CNRS' Institut des Sciences et de la Communication), Didier Van der Meeren (Le Monde des Possibles) and Richard Delmas (Semantis) advocated the benefit of Multilingualism for Democracy.

Nicolas Pauvre (GS1- international organization in charge of the standardization of barcodes and RFID for distribution) introduced the Privacy & Security session. After him, Louis Pouzin (co- inventor of the Internet) recommended to have the naming of connected objects handled by the relevant professional associations. The successes of GS1 and open roots demonstrate the feasibility of approaches closer to end-users, which will mitiate the risk of abuse of dominant position.

Gérard Péliks (Chairman of Atena's Security Forum) has warned us against the dangers faced by the users with the explosion of cyber crime for which he proposed a segmentation.

Didier Carré representing CECUA, added additional user's and citizen's concerns: social and professional acculturations, fear of exclusion and digital fracture as well as technology aversion. Incidents encountered in the use of information systems undermine the trust of users in the Internet. As evidenced by the European Internet Forum in its outlook report Digital World 2030, Information Society with collaborative platforms fosters social and economic development by facilitating the development of partnerships between social and economic actors.

To ensure long term confidence and trust of our citizens in the Information Society and in the frame of European values, this conference is the launch by the CECUA of a broad consultation for the update the "Bill of Rights for the citizen in the global information society".

The "Bill of Rights" is the first mile stone in 2015 of CECUA aiming for a digital Europe paving the way for citizens and users to a common future where dignity, responsibility, equal rights and justice are values shared by all in a world of peace and solidarity.

 

Friedrich Dittmer & Didier Carré, 20/10/2014